Orphan

Director: Juarne Collet-Serra
Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard
Releasing in cinemas: 13 August 2009
Rated: MA 15+

Frightening Pollyanna

Here we go again: another child horror to make your hair stand on end with shades of The Omen and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. If there’s a disconcerting feeling you’ve seen it all before, well you have. This time the child is Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) and we soon discover as the adverts claim “there’s something wrong with Esther”. Yes and there’s something wrong with the film, because around half way through it descends into a slather of bloodletting after fooling us that it's a clever psychological or perhaps paranormal thriller.

Esther's something evil this way comes, a mix between Dracula’s daughter and Rosemary’s baby (grown up wearing a cast off dress from the Addams family). Early in the film we’re wondering if she’s spawn of the Devil or just your average pre-teen homicidal nut case. As the movie proceeds Esther develops the hint of Transylvanian accent, and even looks like Bela Lugosi’s offspring or Agnes Moorehead on a bad day. But we might be barking up the wrong vampire here. When we learn the truth about Esther it’s hard to swallow, maybe leaving her as supernatural being would have been a better option.

The film opens with a seriously bad dream concerning Connecticut husband John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) and his very pregnant wife Kate (Vera Farmiga). Kate has her baby in probably the most blood splattered birth sequence ever brought screen so revolting it might retard population growth. This sets the tone of the film, the director’s into buckets of blood in a big way. After all the nightmare horrors the baby is stillborn, so finally the disheartened wannabe parents look to adopt a replacement.

At an orphanage ‘Open Day’ they discover precocious nine year old Esther a smug ‘Pollyanna’ who paints like Van Gogh and later plays the piano like Rachmaninoff. One cheesy smile at Kate and Esther’s in like Flinn. Sister Abigail (CCH Pounder) overseer of the orphanage tells the Colemans as they leave 'to call if they need any help'. You can't help feeling they’ll need a lot with Sister’s concerned glance as the parents cheerfully take away weird and wonderful Esther.

So Esther comes home to her new hearing impaired little sister Max (Aryana Engineer), and less than enchanted brother Daniel (Jimmy Bennett) to bring retribution on the family in the most violent ways the writer David Leslie Johnson can imagine. Think hammer. Even poor Sister Abigail cops it for being nosey. Unfortunately any early promise the movie has is blown away by the ludicrous last act. It goes so far over the top it’s in orbit. The audience at my screening actually laughed at the clunky climax.

This incredulous script does little for the actors. Isabelle Fuhrman (Hounddog) at times like death warmed up smothered in cosmetics does vampirial aloof and sinister. Given the most dramatic role falls on her shoulders to a large extent she carries it off. Newcomer Aryana Engineer gains sympathy as the hearing impaired Max, scared of telling the truth about Esther’s decidedly unpleasant side, she exhibits that Shirley Temple appeal. You wonder the young cast pursued with such debased malice aren’t emotionally crippled for life. Sarsgaard (Elegy) and Farminga (The Boy in Striped Pyjamas) try hard but they’ve done much better work.

Directed by Jaurne Collet-Serra (House of Wax) with heaps of false shocks, his loud sound stings knock you off your cushion with the smallest provocation. But Collet-Serra manages at least one powerful scene milking all the suspense possible in a children’s playground. Production values are high with stylish cinematography.

With initial promise Orphan disappoints turning out to be another slash-fest for those seeking visceral thrills; gruesome shocks keep you awake over two hours yet ending up formula driven and often in deplorable taste. With occasional flashes of droll humour and suspenseful moments of genuine terror, a pity it didn’t have a more imaginative scenario. Artistic end credits belie the quality of the script.

John Bale